Chapter 261:Attack I
The Rank Five beast folded its enormous wings against its body and began to descend, and for several seconds Silver could do nothing except watch. It was difficult to comprehend its size from the ground.
The creature wasn’t simply large enough to be called a giant bird. Its wingspan stretched across a considerable portion of the sky, and when the sunlight passed behind its body, an enormous shadow spread over the observation centre and the battlefield below.
Its dark scales reflected the morning light with a metallic sheen, while the long feathers, or perhaps something closer to hardened scales, along the edges of its wings shifted independently as it adjusted its descent.
Silver’s fingers tightened around his weapon. His Insight activated almost instinctively which the fore knowledge of it’s rank the military had given.
[Insight]
[Target: Unknown Flying Beast]
[Rank: 5]
[Threat Assessment: Extremely High]
Silver’s pupils contracted it was already know but getting confirmation was surprising on its own.
Rank Five.
The number looked almost insignificant on the screen compared to the detailed description that followed, but Silver understood enough now to know that this wasn’t simply another increase in strength.
He had even survived an encounter with a Rank Five ape, but until now, he hadn’t truly understood what the difference between Rank Four and Rank Five meant.
The creature above him gave him the first real answer. It wasn’t just stronger, it was fundamentally different.
The beast suddenly stopped descending, its wings spreading. The movement looked almost effortless.
The enormous creature hovered above the valley for a moment before slowly turning its head, its eyes sweeping across the observation centre.
Silver felt his stomach tighten.
It was looking at them. The beast’s eyes moved from the walls to the towers, then toward the armed contractors positioned below. It seemed to be evaluating them.
Silver swallowed.
"That’s..."
Ravenna glanced at him.
"What?"
"Nothing."
He didn’t want to distract her, but he couldn’t take his eyes away.
The creature wasn’t behaving like the beasts they had fought throughout their journey. Those creatures had relied heavily on instinct. Even the Rank Four mountain goat Alpha had possessed a degree of intelligence that allowed it to recognize threats and adjust its attacks, but this was different.
This creature was studying them. It understood that the people below were dangerous, that the walls were fortified, and it seemed to be determining how best to approach.
The commander raised his hand.
"Hold your fire."
Several soldiers immediately looked at him.
"Sir?"
"Don’t provoke it."
Silver’s expression changed.
The order made sense since the beast hadn’t attacked yet. It was still circling. The commander clearly wanted to understand what it intended to do.
The Rank Five beast completed another circle around the observation centre. Its wings beat once, the force of the movement sending a powerful gust across the valley. Dust and loose stones were thrown into the air.
Silver raised an arm to protect his eyes. Ravenna stepped closer to him. Antony grabbed the side of a nearby vehicle.
"What the hell is that?"
Nobody answered.
The creature suddenly opened its mouth and a deep sound emerged. It wasn’t quite a roar but sounded more like a series of powerful clicks and low calls. Another sound answered from somewhere deeper in the valley.
Silver looked toward the distant mountains. The smaller beasts were still fleeing. Then he understood; the Rank Five creature wasn’t part of the main beast tide. It had followed it, or perhaps it had been driving the tide forward.
Silver’s expression became serious.
"Is it migrating?"
Ravenna looked at him.
"Maybe."
Before they could say anything else, the creature suddenly dove.
"Incoming!" The commander shouted.
The entire defensive line erupted into movement. The Rank Five beast descended like a falling stone, its speed terrifying. The distance between it and the ground disappeared almost instantly.
"Fire!"
The first barrage erupted. Dozens of weapons fired simultaneously. Bullets streaked into the sky followed by energy attacks.
A massive spear of ice shot upward, several blades of wind tore through the air, and lightning flashed across the sky. The beast twisted midair.
Silver’s eyes widened.
It had anticipated the attacks. The creature folded one wing and tilted its body sideways. The majority of the attacks missed but several struck its wings.
The impacts produced explosions but the beast didn’t stop, it continued descending.
"Again!"
The second barrage was even larger. This time the Rank Five beast spread its wings and the wind exploded outward. Several projectiles were deflected by the force. The creature smashed through the remaining attacks and reached the defensive perimeter.
A Rank Four contractor stepped forward.
He raised both hands and a massive wall of stone erupted from the ground. The beast collided with it, the impact sounding like an explosion. The stone wall shattered but it had slowed the creature.
That was enough.
Three Rank Four contractors attacked simultaneously. One launched a spear of condensed energy, another created a massive blade of wind and a third disappeared.
The Rank Five beast twisted in midair.
The spear struck its chest, the wind blade sliced across one wing, and the third contractor appeared above its back and struck downward.
The beast screamed.
The force of the attacks finally pushed it away from the defensive perimeter. It flew backward in retreat.
Silver stared in awe.
The battle had barely begun, yet the coordination was unlike anything he’d seen before. Nobody was trying to defeat the creature alone.
Every attack served a purpose; one contractor forced it to move, another restricted its movement and a third attacked the opening.
The Rank Five beast recovered quickly. It flapped its wings and the entire battlefield shook from the shock wave. The creature climbed higher.
Silver watched carefully.
The wound on its wing was already beginning to close.
His expression changed.
"Regeneration."
Ravenna looked at him.
"You can tell?"
"Yes."
The beast suddenly folded its wings again and disappeared into the clouds of dust above the valley. The battlefield went silent as everyone waited.
Silver’s eyes searched the sky.
"Where is it?" Ravenna asked.